[Bill Seward]

1. Use a standard H4 Bulb in the light instead of the expensive OEM bulb..
The modification is simle, and obvious if you compare the 2 bulbs.
Look at the bottom of the mounting plate.. You will see 2 tiny metal tabs
about 1/4 inch apart. Note that the H4 bulb 's are a bit closer together.
The bulb will not fit properly, because the tab is too wide to fit.
All I did was to flatten them both with a pair of pliers, and everything worked fine. The wire clip can be a bit of a bear to fasten till you do it once, then you
figure out how to fix it in place in a second.
2. Standard bulbs are anemic 35-watt low/high beams. Go to your store
od choice, (EBAY!!!) and pick up a set of 65/45 watt bulbs. I put a set of
80/100watt blue bulbs in, and after changing fuses to 15A, all works well..
No melted lenses or reflectors, no smoking coming from the fairind, and no dead battery. I did notice that the bulbs still get a bit brighter when you rev
up the engine, so the charging system still can handle things..
3. As with any modification, do this at your own risk. I feel that the 65/45
watt bulbs probably would be a bit safer, but the light output of the 80/100
really has to be seen to be believed!!!
Ride safe, and watch where you're going!
Scoot on

Bill Seward
(Wife owns the Burgie, I've got a 2002 Roadstar, and an '85 VMax)

 

[allwalk]

I'm curious to ask, Did you blow one of the original lights or did you just want to upgrade to brighter lights? If you just wanted to upgrade to brighter , why was that? Were the stock lights not suitable for your area, or just a preference? Thanks in advance.

 

[Bill Seward]

Headlight change

I wanted brighter lights, as we live in a rural area, mostly without street
lighting..

 

[daveman]

The original bulbs only seem to have a lifetime of 2 weeks to 2 months anyway, so it was only a matter of time before they had to be changed.

I don't think the 80/100 bulbs are legal for street use.

 

[Bill Seward]

OOPS! But I'd rather be safe than worry about a ticket for some obscure
DOT rule!

Scoot On!
By the way, we named Kathy's Burgie "SCOOTZILLA"!

 

[NYBubba]

Fuses??

Using a H4 35/35, 65/45 or 60/40 as a replacement, do you have to change the fuse to a different AMP rating? What about the higher rated bulbs, or the blue tint bulbs? :?:

 

[Bleeder]

The original bulbs only seem to have a lifetime of 2 weeks to 2 months anyway, so it was only a matter of time before they had to be changed.

7 months and 5,000 miles later mine are fine.




Peace.

 

[pauljo]

7 months and 5,000 miles later mine are fine.

Bleeder,

Do you ride with your high beams on during the day? (That has been suggested as a possible cause of the early bulb failures.)

 

[Bleeder]

Yes sir. It's all high beams, all the time with me. Except with oncoming traffic of course. I find the low beams rather anemic and have thought about going to a H4 65/50 or somesuch to throw a bit more fire power on the road. I live off the 1 near Big Sur - no street lights, twisty, and multi-hundred feet drops. I know it like the back of my hand, but rocks and critters and such could ruin a fellas whole day.



Peace.

 

[pauljo]

Yes sir. It's all high beams, all the time with me. Except with oncoming traffic of course. I find the low beams rather anemic and have thought about going to a H4 65/50 or somesuch to throw a bit more fire power on the road. I live off the 1 near Big Sur - no street lights, twisty, and multi-hundred feet drops. I know it like the back of my hand, but rocks and critters and such could ruin a fellas whole day.

Interesting. Might be that the problem some 400s are having is NOT related to running high beams... I lived out that way for a little while in the late 60s (Pacific Grove). Pretty country. Didn't have a bike then, but I did have a brand new 1969 BMW 2002 sports sedan, which was kind of fun on those roads.

 

[Bleeder]

In '69 I was 9 y.o., but I bet Borg's Hotel was there then, by the point, no? Those little boxy 2002's were pretty cool.





Peace.

 

[pauljo]

In '69 I was 9 y.o., but I bet Borg's Hotel was there then, by the point, no? Those little boxy 2002's were pretty cool.

I don't remember Borg's Hotel, but I do remember fisherman's wharf, Sunday wine tasting excursions, Carmel Valley, trips to San Francisco and L.A. - I had fun there.

The BMW was courtesy of an Air force re-enlistment bonus. There was a small dealer in Monterey, Fred Snook BMW - not sure of last name spelling. Anyway, Fred was an ex-fighter pilot. He told me that he could beat Porches with a BMW 2002. I laughed. He invited me to go for a ride. :twisted: I foolishly accepted. Oh my gosh! When he finally pulled over and asked me if I wanted to drive I was shaking so much I didn't know if I could. But I knew darn well that I didn't want to ride back with HIM behind the wheel!
That was one test drive I will NEVER forget!

 

[Bleeder]

LOL!!!
Reminds me of being invited in high school by a girl friends dad to fly with him. A 2 seater painted like the American flag with struts and braces all over. I was amazed he could still fly all those stunts with my hands around his neck. :shock:




Peace.